23 Executive Orders on gun control signed by the President

President Barack Obama signs a series of executive orders about the administration’s new gun law proposals

23 Executive Orders on gun control signed by the President

By Roger Caldwell

“In the hours after the worst of our fears were confirmed, in the midst of grief and sorrow, over the loss of 20 innocent children and six dedicated educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School, there was one question on the minds of people across Connecticut and around the nation: How do we make sure this never happens again,” says Michael Steel, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner.

The excruciating pain in the hearts and minds of Americans after this tragedy will remain etched in our memory for many years. America is a violent culture that idealizes violence and crime every time it gets an opportunity on all forms of the media. We live in a society where the leading story begins with someone getting shot or a violent crime has taken place.

Violence is fundamental to our present day culture, but President Obama has a responsibility to change or alter the direction of the country. “The nation should be motivated to keep children such as these from harm. Their voices should compel us to change. That’s why I asked Biden to come up with recommendations that the country should execute right now to curb gun violence,” said President Obama.

Vice-President Biden proposed universal background checks, restrictions on high capacity magazines, more research on gun-violence, and the importance of including the mental health community in the conversations. These recommendations make sense and the White House is also trying to revive the US ban on assault weapons which expired in 2004.

In our society there are 270 million guns owned by American citizens, which works out to 90 guns per 100 people. It is obvious that there is a pervasive sickness in our country when it comes to guns, and now more citizens are buying guns than ever before.

President Obama last week announced and signed 23 executive orders to reduce gun violence and increase gun safety. These are executive actions and will strengthen law enforcement efforts against gun crime, encourage more stringent background checks and provide resources for gun safety. The majority of the measures are not controversial and they don’t appear to infringe on the second amendment.

These actions are designed to get the ball rolling and the hard issues he is leaving up to Congress. Here are some of the 23 executive orders; 1. Issue a presidential memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system, 2. Improve incentives for states to share information with background check system, 3. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign, 4. Review safety standard for gun locks and gun safes, 5. Issue a presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations, 6. Nominate an ATF director, 7. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime, 8. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers, and 9. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.

There are 14 more logical and rational executive orders that are good ideas that are not extremely expensive but are doable and achievable. The executive orders are not treasonous and President Obama is not abusing his powers.

President Obama and Vice President Biden are taking action and pushing to make changes in the country. His executive orders are comprehensive but they make sense, and both parties should support and promote the changes.

President Obama will also ask Congress to be an integral partner in helping to control gun violence in the country. He will ask Congress to pass laws that would require universal background checks, restore a ban on military-style assault weapons, ban gun magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds, and tougher penalties on people who sell guns to people who aren’t allowed to have guns.